Mobile CT sports betting starts today but will be limited in users and hours during the week-long soft launch period.
DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook and Rush Street Interactive‘s PlaySugarHouse can soft launch their apps beginning at 3 pm Tuesday. But there are some strict restrictions during the trial period:
- Access will be limited to 750 bettors. The three Connecticut sportsbooks were allowed to create accounts for those bettors beginning Friday afternoon.
- Betting is only available between 3-11 pm Tuesday and Wednesday and 12 pm-midnight Thursday and Friday before going 24 hours.
“As long as no issues arise, we have told the licensees they may move forward with the 7-day soft launch required in the regulations,” Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle Seagull said. “Once the soft launch is complete, online gaming will open statewide.”
The timeline means full online sports betting in Connecticut will launch Oct. 19 in time for Week 7 NFL betting.
iGaming launches alongside CT sports betting
While headlines have mainly focused on the launch of CT sports betting, iGaming is also launching at the same time, but not for everyone.
Only DraftKings and FanDuel, partnered respectively with the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Indians, can launch iGaming.
Online casino will launch with more than 100 approved games during the soft launch, though live dealer games and poker are not included.
The Connecticut Lottery can launch online lottery games but not online casino games per terms of the new gaming compacts. That could lead to a significant advantage for DraftKings and FanDuel when it comes to customer acquisition.
Feds only cost a few days of mobile access
Tuesday’s soft launch is only five days later than the original Oct. 7 launch date. That was pushed back because of an unexpected delay in publishing both updated compacts in the Federal Register.
The Mohegan Indians’ compact was published Sept. 15 but the Mashantucket Pequot’s compact was not published for another 12 days.
Retail betting launched Sept. 30 at both tribal casinos.
